Tuesday, April 7, 2015

URWERK UR-1001 “TITAN”

Few years ago URWERK unveiled UR-1001 Zeit device, a crazy yet highly complex timekeeper that displays seconds, minutes, hours, day, date, month, years, centuries and even millennia, all in a thoroughly original and innovative way. This year the Swiss watch brand equips the Zeit device with a generously sized strap for wearing on the wrist.

A patented, revolving satellite complication with wandering hour hand and retrograde minute hand. Carrying three conical satellites bearing hour markers, the central carousel is the nerve center of the satellite complication. The carousel revolves on a precision ball bearing system so that no upper support bridge – which would block the stunning view – is required.

The retrograde minute hand is fixed to a sprung ring around the circumference of the satellite complication. This ring is pushed along a guide rail by the hour satellite. A swan’s neck spring on each arm of the carrousel engages two coaxial star-cams that slide along the guide rail carrying the minute hand. When the minute hand gets to the end of the rail at 60 minutes, the star-cams trip over to release the minute hand, which springs back to zero at the start of the scale where it rendezvous with the next satellite hour.

Revolving Satellite Calendar
The Revolving Satellite Calendar is an original – both technically and graphically – calendar complication completely developed in-house by URWERK. Visually it is in the same family as the hour satellite complication, with months and date replacing hours and retrograde minutes. However, whereas the hours rotate across the minutes with unchanging 60-minute regularity, the month automatically adjusts the last date on the calendar complication according to whether it has 30 or 31 days.

Day Night and Power Reserve Indicator
The Day/Night indicator is a rotating disc marked with Black Super-LumiNova for the night, white brushed-ruthenium for day and a striped mix for dusk/dawn. While useful in its own right, the Day/Night indicator comes into its own when setting the calendar mechanism. The Power Reserve indicator monitors the amount of power in the mainspring up to 39 hours and features a red warning zone to remind the owner when the UR-1001 “TITAN” needs refueling.

Turning the UR-1001 “TITAN” over and lifting up its protective cover, an alternative universe featuring remarkably long time measurements can be discovered: Long-term indications – the 5-year “oil change” and 100-year and 1,000-year “odometers” – are displayed above the bottom of the satellite hours and retrograde minutes mechanism, its black surface punctuated by ruby jewel bearings.

“Oil Change” indicator
The shortest time interval measured on the back is the 5-year “Oil Change” indicator at centre right, which alerts the user when a service is due after three years when the dial changes from white (years one to three) to red (years three to five). This is counter is reset to zero when the timepiece is serviced.

100-year indicator
The 100-year indicator advances in 5-year increments and acts like the odometer of a car. Where a car’s odometer keeps track of the total distance number at vehicle has driven, the 100-year and 1000-year indicators of the UR-1001 register the total running time of the movement.

1000-year indicator
When the hand reaches the 100-year mark, the small pointer at the bottom of the 1000-year indicator on the left takes a small – small for the UR-1001 “TITAN”, but a giant leap for mankind – 100-year step upwards on its imperceptibly slow, but deliberate journey to a new millennium.

Fine finishing
The fine finishing and decoration throughout the case, dials and components of the “TITAN” are a harmonious blend of the contemporary and the traditional, echoing URWERK’s ethos of 21st century watchmaking based on a solid foundation of the very best in traditional horology. Circular lines engraved into the top of the case give hint to the fact that the form of the “TITAN”’s case is actually a circle with cut sides. Clous de Paris guilloche on the dial provides both a rich texture and a pleasing contrast with the flat surfaces on the indications. The satellites and their hands feature diamond-cut bevels that reflect light during the day, while flush embedded white Super-LumiNova ensures legible reading of the time at night. Clous de Paris guilloche surfaces continue on the back of the timepiece and in a tip of the hat to URWERK’s home, Geneva waves (Côtes de Genève) are engraved on sections of the bridge supporting the base of the Hour Satellite Complication.